A SHORT story teaching primary school children about the rules of rugby is being launched by Wasps.
Club mascot Sting, who stars in the short story, is visiting 20 schools in the area to share it with youngsters in the build up to Wasps’ next home game against rivals Leicester Tigers at the Ricoh Arena this Saturday (kick-off 1.45pm).
The launch was to mark World Book Day on March 3, a charity that is now in its 19th year and aims to encourage youngsters to explore reading by having a book of their own.
The short story is called Sting and Waspy different parts of the sport are explained as Sting takes his younger brother Waspy to his first ever match.
The short story was the brainchild of Verity Brown, community development manager at Wasps, and she will be accompanying Sting to read it to hundreds of youngsters over the next two weeks.
She said: “Books are a wonderful way of sparking a child’s imagination and bringing different topics to life.
“Being a mother to a ten-year-old boy who is rugby-mad and an avid reader myself, I wanted to create something that would engage children and help them to understand the game more.
“Educating children through rugby can only bode well for bringing through the next generation of supporters and players, while developing their learning and getting them active at the same time.”
Similar school initiatives Wasps are involved with include the Aviva Tackling Numbers programme, where rugby is used to deliver a range of practical and classroom numeracy challenges.
Parents and children can access the short story by logging on to www.wasps.co.uk.
